Bristow Group - secures early deliveries of five Elroy Air Chaparral cargo drones

Houston-based Bristow Group, which achieved its start as an international operator of helicopters but now bills itself as a vertical flight solutions provider, is looking to speed up the introduction of new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to its fleet.

Last month Bristow announced it had placed deposits for early deliveries of five Elroy Air Chaparral VTOL cargo drones, part of the company's letter of intent to preorder 100 Chaparral systems in July 2022. The move ensures Bristow will receive some of the first commercially certified Elroy aircraft off the production line and will add the first VTOL cargo models to its aircraft portfolio. Elroy expects the first deliveries of Chaparral will happen in 2025. Operating a global network of helicopter services, Bristow plans to deploy the aircraft internationally to support advanced air mobility (AAM) use cases in cargo logistics, healthcare and energy.

A Bristow spokesperson said the early stage of Chaparral's development and certification make it difficult to pinpoint an exact delivery date. But the company sees it becoming an integral part of its global fleet to complement its services in existing markets. "There is an increasing demand for the movement of time-sensitive cargo for logistics, healthcare and energy applications," said Dave Stepanek, executive vice president and chief transformation officer at Bristow. "Securing these early delivery positions underscores our commitment to leading the AAM market and builds on our 75-plus year legacy of vertical lift innovations. At Bristow, we are excited to usher in a new era of vertical lift operations and collaborate with Elroy Air to meet the emerging market of express shipping cargo in cities and regions, without relying on existing or new airport infrastructure."